As technology continues to whittle away at the frequency of face-to-face interaction, are we slowly losing touch with compassion? Sometimes it’s easier to be rude (or downright mean) when communicating via technology. Technological devices afford a certain degree of separation between people, making it easy to forget there is a person on the other end of our communiqués. Perhaps the more prevalent our technological interactions become, the more humans are losing a bit of our humanity (the ability to sympathize, feel compassion, or consider people outside him or herself). Let me give you some examples.
- Your daily commute. Do you vocalize about the incompetence or recklessness of other drivers? Possibly you’ve railed against them, called them names, insulted their intelligence, or wished them ill.
- The drive-through line. Have you ever expressed frustration at the service personnel when your order was misunderstood, or failed to keep your patience when asked to repeat yourself?
- Cyber bullying. Anywhere from 15 – 50 percent of students experience cyber bullying of some kind. You may have even seen or experienced it yourself; it’s not limited to students and children. Unfortunately, there are several cases that led to the suicides of young people being cyber-bullied.
What do these examples have in common? They are devoid of face-to-face interaction. Whether separated by a car, a speaker box, or a computer screen, people commonly disrespect each other when we are detached from the human aspect.